KSC-99PP-0744 - STS-93 crew pose on launch pad 39-B
The STS-93 crew pose for a photo on Launch Pad 39B during a break in
Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. From left are
Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission
Specialists Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Michel Tognini of France, who
represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and
Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.). Collins is the first woman to serve as a
Shuttle commander. Behind them is the Space Shuttle Columbia, with
only the solid rocket boosters and external tank showing, on the
mobile launcher platform. In preparation for their mission, the STS-93
crew are participating in the TCDT, which familiarizes them with the
mission, provides training in emergency exit from the orbiter and
launch pad, and includes a launch-day dress rehearsal culminating with
a simulated main engine cut-off. The primary mission of STS-93 is the
release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists
from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of exotic
environments in space to help understand the structure and evolution
of the universe. The targeted launch date for STS-93 is no earlier
than July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.
06/23/1999